Patent Application
20080029044
Reference numerals in the written specification and in the drawing figures indicate corresponding items.
A preferred embodiment of a pet grooming tool in accordance with the invention is shown in
The pet engageable portion 12 of the pet grooming tool 10 is formed of a polymeric material, preferably by using an injection molding process. Preferably but not necessarily, the polymeric material that forms the pet engageable portion 12 is either polycarbonate or acetal, which have relatively high tensile yield strength and good creep resistance as compared to other less expensive polymeric materials. As shown most clearly in
A plurality of teeth 24 are preferably formed in a row along the bottom of the pet engageable portion 12. Each tooth 24 is preferably bound in front by the arcuate surface 22, in the rear by the rear surface 18 and, except for the first and last teeth in the row, by two tooth side surfaces 26. An intersecting surface 28 is preferably formed between each adjacent pair of the teeth 24. Each intersecting surface 28 is preferably planar and preferably extends from the arcuate surface 22 to the rear surface 18 in a manner creating an acute horizontal edge segment 30 with the rear surface. Each edge segment 30 preferably has an edge angle of between forty-five degrees and seventy-five degrees, and more preferably of approximately sixty degrees.
The tooth side surfaces 26 of each tooth 24 acutely intersect the side tooth surfaces of each adjacent tooth at the root of the tooth. It is from such intersections that the intersecting surfaces 28 extend downward toward the edge segments 30. The tooth side surfaces 26 of any given tooth 24, excluding the first and last teeth 36, also preferably acutely intersect each other at the tip 32 of said tooth in a manner forming an acute edge 34 that extends horizontally and generally perpendicular to the edge segments 30. The tips 32 of the first and last teeth 36 in the row preferably do not have acute edges. Additionally, the first and last teeth 36 are preferably wider than the other teeth to reduce the likelihood of damaging the teeth in the event that the pet grooming tool is dropped. Preferably there are between thirteen and fourteen of the teeth 24 per inch along the row of teeth and preferably the tips 32 of the teeth are approximately an eighth of an inch below the edge segments 30 of the pet engageable portion 12.
The upper portion of the pet engageable portion 12 may optionally comprise one or more openings 38 or other indentations. Such openings 38 or indentations create cavities in the pet engageable portion 12 that allow the handle portion 14 of the pet grooming tool 10 to be secured to the pet engageable portion via interlocking geometry, but are not necessary if the handle portion is melt bonded to the pet engageable portion.
After the pet engageable portion 12 has been formed, it is preferably placed in another mold into which another polymeric material is injection molded to form the handle portion 14. The polymeric material used to form the handle portion 14 can be any one of commonly used engineering plastics such as ABS, nylon, and polypropylene, and is preferably less expensive than the polymeric material used to form the pet engageable portion. Notably, the material used to form the handle portion 14 needs not be as creep resistant nor have as high a yield strength as the material used to form the pet engageable portion 12. Preferably however, the polymeric material used to form the handle portion 14 has a melt temperature close to that of the polymeric material used to form the pet engageable portion 12 such that the materials become melt-bonded to each other when the handle portion is formed. Alternatively, the pet engageable portion 12 can be provided with cavities, such as the openings 38 shown in
The mold used to form the handle portion 14 is preferably shaped such that, when formed, the handle portion comprises a base portion 40 that encircles the upper portion of the pet engageable portion 12, and an elongate portion 42 extending therefrom. The elongate portion 42 of the handle portion 14 is preferably shaped to be grasped comfortably by hand. Additionally, the elongate portion 42 preferably comprises a plurality of recessed areas 44 and a through-hole 46 at its distal end. The through-hole is provided simply to provide means for hanging the pet grooming tool 10 from a hook or the like, and for provided means for attaching a lanyard to the pet grooming tool.
After forming the handle portion 14 of the pet grooming tool 10, the assembly of the handle portion 14 and the pet engageable portion 12 is then placed in yet another mold. This mold preferably has a shape similar to the mold used to form the handle portion 14, except at areas where the recesses on the handle portion are located. This mold is configured so that yet another polymeric material, such as thermoplastic polyurethane, styrene-ethylene/butylene-styrene copolymer, copolyesters, copolyamides, thermoplastic rubber, or thermoplastic vulcanate, can be injected molded into the recessed areas 44 of the handle portion 14 to form the grip portion 16 of the pet grooming tool 10. The grip portion 16 preferably has an outer contour that meets flush with the outer contour of the handle portion adjacent the recessed areas 44. The polymeric material used to form the grip portion 16 preferably is softer than the polymeric material used to form the handle portion 14 and preferably has a higher coefficient of friction. As such, the grip portion 16 increases the comfort and improves the grip when grasping the pet grooming tool 10.
The pet grooming tool 10 is preferably utilized to remove loose hair from a furry pet, such as a dog or cat, without cutting or pulling non-loose hair from the pet. In use, a person grasps the handle portion 14 of the pet grooming tool 10 and presses the pet engageable portion 12 of the tool into the fur of a pet. Preferably the pet grooming tool 10 is held in a manner such that rear surface 18 of the pet engageable portion 12 is generally perpendicular to the skin of the furry pet. The pet grooming tool is then preferably pulled in a manner such that the front surface 20 of the pet engageable portion 12 trials behind the rear surface 18 of the pet engageable portion. As the pet grooming tool 10 is pulled, both loose and non-loose hair passes between the teeth 24 of the pet engageable portion 12. The acute angle of edge segments 30 facilitates the ability of the pet engageable portion 12 to pull the loose hair from the pet without also cutting or pulling non-loose hair from the pet. Additionally, the acute shape of the tips 32 of the teeth 24 helps channel hair into the voids between the teeth 24, whereas blunter teeth would otherwise tend to mash hair against the skin of the pet.
While the present invention has been described in reference to a specific embodiment, in light of the foregoing, it should be understood that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings is intended to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense and that various modifications and variations of the invention may be constructed without departing from the scope of the invention defined by the following claims. Thus, other possible variations and modifications should be appreciated.
Furthermore, it should be understood that when introducing elements of the present invention in the claims or in the above description of the preferred embodiment of the invention, the terms “comprising,” “including,” and “having” are intended to be open-ended and mean that there may be additional elements other than the listed elements. Additionally, the term “portion” should be construed as meaning some or all of the item or element that it qualifies. Moreover, use of identifiers such as first, second, and third should not be construed in a manner imposing any relative position or time sequence between limitations. Still further, the order in which the steps of any method claim that follows are presented should not be construed in a manner limiting the order in which such steps must be performed.
